How Defence chaplains unwittingly made the case for more secular wellbeing support

By Phillip Hoglin

Following an article in the Journal of Religion and Health, several chaplains published a further article in the 2023 edition of the Australian Army Chaplaincy Journal outlining some findings from an internal chaplaincy-sponsored survey on the use of chaplains in the military.

The purpose of the articles appears to be the desire to make the case for the continuation of religious-based chaplaincy in the Australian Defence Force (ADF), and to counter the mounting calls for secular reform. 

However, hidden in plain sight within the detail of the survey results is undeniable evidence that non-religious Defence members are substantially less likely than religious members to seek support from a religious chaplain.

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